By Sally Reid
Photography: Pegasus Communications
Covid-19 brought the ESNZ’s year-long Eventing Super League Series to a premature end, and forced the cancellation of the Taupo three-day event, one of the major competitions on the calendar. However, it seems likely that only the first and second places were in question, as two horses were well clear in the rankings. Both are Warmblood-Thoroughbred crosses, and both are by imported European stallions.
The win went to Acrobat (Euro Sport Centavos - xx dam, name unrecorded) with 112 points. This handsome nine-year-old gelding was bred by Kate Bird, and is owned and ridden by Monica Oakley. He has had high placings throughout the season, including second in the CCI 4*-L at the Puhinui International three-day event, and third in the HOY 4*, but, oddly enough, no actual win in the series classes.
His sire, the German-bred Hanoverian Euro Sport Centavos (Escudo I - Anabell Staatsprämie x Argentinus) is better known for his showjumping progeny, but he has some very good eventing and dressage offspring here too.
He is a magnificent black stallion, bred by Heinz Schütte at Hof Schütte in Spelle, and is from Stamm 4191603, Schridde 261. He is owned by Claudia Hay of Euro Sport Horses in the Waikato and approved for Oldenburg, sBs, and New Zealand Warmblood studbooks. His four-star NZWA stallion ranking is the highest possible, with ‘elite’ status through his performance in sport.
ES Centavos, who is now 16, was the winner of the Olympic Cup (HOY) in 2015. He has a Staatsprämie half-sister, Sarieka (Stakkato), as well as a Westfalian Hauptprämie stallion half-brother, Los Angeles 20 (Light On OLD).
Second place in the series, with 105 points, went to Madison Crowe’s excellent mare, Waitangi Pinterest (Cassiano - Amberlou x Aberlou xx), who was bred by Jos Bayly of Waitangi Sport Horses in Northland.
This mare’s dam is well connected in the eventing world: she is a full sister to the international eventer Curious George, who was ridden by Vaughn Jefferis. Her sire, Cassiano (Cassini I - Zivia Hauptstutbuch x Calypso II), is a Hanoverian-approved Holsteiner (Stamm 6691) who stands at Sharlene Workman’s Xtreme Sport Horses and brings superb bloodlines to this country. He was bred in Germany by Lauk Carsten and received his licence there in 2003. Cassiano’s dam, Zivia, has produced a number of international showjumpers and licensed stallions, and his grand-dam, Nachtbluete, was a Staatsprämie mare by the wonderful Thoroughbred, Maestoso xx. Cassiano himself finished third at the 2007 Bundeschampionat and had wins and placings with Rolf-Göran Bengtsson and Lars Bak Anderson during his career in Europe.
Waitangi Pinterest is an 11-year-old and has had a terrific career with Madison Crowe, with a string of high placings. They won the CCN4*-S at Taupo last November, and, during the previous season won the CCI4*-L at the National Eventing Champ-ionships, also in Taupo. .. To read the complete article you need to be a subscriber
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